1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoes having inflatable bladders. Additionally, the present invention relates to non-athletic shoes having inflatable bladders positioned within the tongue of the shoe. More particularly, the present invention relates to shoes having an inflation and deflation structure associated with the bladder which allows for the easy placement and removal of the shoe from a human foot.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that footwear must provide a stable and comfortable support point for the body while being subject to various types of stress. It is important that the shoe be comfortable and provide adequate support during various foot movements associated with human activity. Articles of footwear typically include an upper and a sole. These articles of footwear are sold in a variety of sizes according to the length and the width of the foot. However, feet of similar length do not necessarily have the same geometry. Therefore, the upper may be adjustable to accommodate various foot contours. Such adjustment may include medial and lateral side portions which, when tensioned, provide support to the foot.
The most common way to adjust the size of a shoe is through lacing. Lacing alone, however, suffers from several disadvantages. For example, when the shoelaces or straps are drawn too tightly, the fastening system can cause pressure on the instep of the foot. Such localized pressure is uncomfortable to the wearer and can make it difficult for the shoe to be worn for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, while such fastening systems allow the upper of the shoe to be adjustable to accommodate varying foot and ankle configurations, they do not necessarily mold to the contour of the individual feet. Moreover, regardless of how much tension is exerted on the medial and lateral side portions, there still remain areas of the foot which are not supported by the upper, due to the irregular contour of the foot.
Among those persons that are elderly, infirm or overweight, it is often extremely difficult to properly lace shoes. The very action of bending over so as to grasp shoestrings for the purposes of lacing the shoes and tightening the laces can be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Under certain circumstances, back injuries can occur from the action of bending over and applying the pressure necessary to properly lace and tighten the shoestrings. As a result, many of the elderly, infirm or overweight persons will resort to wearing shoes that are easily placed onto the feet and removed from the feet. These shoes are commonly known as loafers or sandals.
Unfortunately, loafers and sandals typically cannot be suitably adjusted so as to fit the contour of the foot in a proper manner. Typically, sandals and loafers will provide inadequate support to the medial and lateral side portions of the foot. As a result, the shoe will tend to flop around on the foot and provide insufficient support for supporting human activity. As a result, a need has developed so as to provide a suitable loafer-type shoe that can be easily placed on the foot or removed from the foot and also adequately supports the medial and lateral side portions of the foot and further to provide proper support to the foot.
In the past, various patents have issued relating to devices having inflatable bladders which serve to more properly secure the shoe to the foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,043, issued on May 23, 1972 to Polumbus, Jr., describes a footwear accessory which includes an elongated airtight inflatable pad secured in the footwear and a means for injecting compressed air into the pad so that it expands to draw the footwear tightly to the foot. A valve is also provided so as to allow for the release of compressed air from the pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,767, issued on Oct. 27, 1992 to Cohen et al., describes an athletic shoe provided with an inflatable tongue or bladder for a more secure foot to the user""s foot. The bladder is inflated with a pump which has a foam material disposed therein. The bladder is attached to a tongue of an athletic shoe which is initially laced for the purpose of securing the tongue to the upper of the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,470, issued on Nov. 2, 1993 to Auger et al., describes a custom fit bladder system for athletic shoes. This bladder system includes first and second separately pressure adjustable chambers for different foot portions. First and second bladder stems communicate with the first and second chambers, respectively. A tension wire bail secures the stems to a tee manifold between them. A bulb pump held on the shoe includes an articulated connector at one end and a flush mounted inlet valve retained at the other end. A button dial allows the user to select which of the chambers to inflate by pumping the pump and deflate by pushing a deflation valve disposed in the manifold.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,638, issued on Sep. 6, 1994 to Legassie et al., teaches an upper for an athletic shoe which substantially takes the form of an inflatable chamber. The upper is formed from first and second laminates which are welded together at various locations to form several fluid impervious chambers. The chambers, which are visible, are inflated with fluid to provide lightweight support and comfort to the foot of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,298, issued on Jun. 16, 1998 to Potter et al., teaches an athletic shoe with a pressurized ankle collar. This athletic shoe is formed of a sole, an upper attached to the sole and including an ankle portion extending around the medial and lateral malleoli, and an inflatable bladder attached within the ankle portion. The inflatable bladder has a medial section and a lateral section with an inlet mechanism for supply pressurized gas to the interior of the bladder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,779, issued on Nov. 23, 1999 to Litchfield et al., describes an athletic shoe having an inflatable bladder which includes a plurality of chambers with a valve disposed therebetween to selectively inflate the chambers. The inflatable tongue or bladder has a lightweight pump disposed thereon. The inflatable footwear also has an inflation bag under the foot. The inflation bag is formed by two sheets of material that are welded together. A foam layer having apertures is positioned adjacent to the inflation bag.
Unfortunately, in these patents, each of the prior art inflation devices is associated with athletic footwear. One would initially assume that such inflation devices were intended to provide the user with a better fit of an athletic shoe so that athletic performance would improve. As such, the lacing structure of the athletic shoe is provided in combination with the inflation structure. None of these prior art devices is particularly concerned with the ability of the elderly, infirm or overweight to properly secure a shoe to the foot. None of the prior art patents are particularly directed to the use of sandals and/or loafers which can be easily secured to the foot or removed from the foot without the use of one""s hands. In each of these cases, the release valve for the air bag must be accessed by human hands so as to release the shoe from the foot. Furthermore, pressure for the inflation of the air bladders within the shoe must be accomplished by the use of human fingers. Since each of these prior art devices are directed toward athletes or to athletic activities, it is assumed that, with each of these prior art devices, there is suitable ability by the user to access the shoe.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe with an inflatable tongue that can be used by the elderly, infirm or overweight.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe with an inflatable bladder which allows the shoe to be placed on the human foot and to properly inflate it and deflate it without the action of human hands.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shoe with an inflatable tongue which can provide an attractive appearance like any other shoe.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shoe with an inflatable tongue which is adapted for use in association with loafers and/or sandals.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a shoe which is easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.
The present invention is a shoe comprising a sole, an upper affixed to the sole and extending upwardly therefrom, a tongue fixedly and non-releasably secured to the upper, an air pump affixed to the toe portion, a bladder in valved communication with an exhaust of the air pump, and a deflator interconnected in valved relationship with the bladder. The air pump has an intake and an exhaust. The bladder is in valved communication with the exhaust of the pump. The bladder is affixed to a surface of the tongue. The bladder is inflatable by an action of the air pump. The deflator is connected to the heel portion of the upper.
A tubing has one end connected to an outlet of the bladder and extends along a side of the upper. The tubing extends along the interior surface of the upper and is juxtaposed against a top surface of the sole. The tubing allows air from the bladder to be released by way of the deflator.
The deflator comprises a valve having a pin extending upwardly therefrom. The pin is movable downwardly so as to release air from the bladder through the tubing. An actuator is affixed to the upper in cooperation with the pin. This actuator is a flexible spoon-shaped member affixed to an interior surface of the upper at the heel portion. The spoon-shaped member has a surface overlying a top of the pin.
The bladder has an inverted U-shaped configuration. The bladder has an exterior surface contacting an interior surface of the tongue. The air pump is a bellows-type air pump. In particular, the air pump includes a top panel, a flexible bellows material affixed to the underside of the top panel, and a bottom panel affixed to a bottom of the bellows material. An elastomeric foam section is interposed between the bellows material and the bottom panel. The intake and the exhaust are connected to the flexible bellows material. The top panel is of a material matching the material of the upper at the toe portion.
The shoe is in the nature of a loafer, a sandal or a woman""s shoe. The bladder can be inflated by applying a pressure to the top panel of the air pump so as to create a compressive pressure therewith (e.g. by the placement of the heel of the other foot thereon). The human foot can easily slide into the opening in the upper so as to have a top surface of the foot resting against the inner surface of the bladder. Air can be released by simply using the other foot to compress the flexible spoon-shaped flap downwardly onto the pin of the valve such that air is released from the bladder by way of the deflator.